Worth It
by BubblesFullbuster
Summary: It's Lucy's second Sakura festival, but she's sick again! Will she find joy in her apartment with an unlikely caretaker?


**Hi all! This is my first Fairy Tail fanfic, so here's hoping it doesn't suck! This fanfic is mostly fluff. Please review and let me know what you think!**

**-x-**

It was a beautiful day - the skies clear and blue, the birds whistling merry tunes and warm sunlight falling on all who stepped outside. People were happy and cheerful, shouting fond greetings to each other and just generally smiling.

Lucy Heartfilia, the Celestial mage of Fairy Tail, was in bed. Her nose a vibrant shade of red, watery eyes and a sickly pallor made it obvious to anyone who saw her that Lucy was not well. It was the day of the Sakura Festival and Lucy was stuck in bed - again. Her nakama had all promised to pay special attention to the happenings of that night, and would tell her in great detail everything that occurred. But Lucy was not happy about missing the festival again, even going so far as to curse the gods and spirits for her illness. Hearing a loud smash, Lucy's eyes widened. She was practically defenseless - she had no energy to stand, let alone to fight someone trespassing in her apartment. Sliding her blankets up to cover all but her eyes, Lucy peered fearfully at her door, expecting it to slam open any minute to reveal a dark, mysterious figure.

Sure enough, within moments her door slammed open and rebounded against the wall. The lights in the other room were off, so Lucy had no idea who could possibly be on the other side of the door. A tall figure stepped forward, and Lucy held her breath in terror. She imagined vicious sparks of lightning surrounding the man, and eerily ominous music playing in the background. Soon, this man would step forward and be revealed. Soon, he would ransack her house, leaving broken objects and a broken Lucy in his wake.

"Jeez, Lucy, what's with the darkness? I just broke a table." A familiar voice floated to where Lucy was still cowering in her bed. An annoyingly familiar voice that had never sounded so good to Lucy in all her life. Rolling her eyes and sinking down into her bed with relief, Lucy snapped, "Next time, Natsu, could you try not to give me a heart-attack?! And use the door! It's there for a reason!" Natsu stepped forward with an apologetic look on his tanned face, scratching his salmon hair in shame. He took a quick look at Lucy in bed, the blankets pulled up to her chin and her face showing the pain she felt. "Gee, sorry Luce. The door was locked so I had to use the window. Mira said you haven't been to the guild in days. I was worried."

Lucy pulled her face into a faint smile, acknowledging Natsu's shame and letting him know that she forgave him. He strode up to her bed and felt her forehead with the back of his hand, flinching as he realised how high Lucy's temperature was. Without another word, Natsu left the room. Lucy stared in confusion and hurt at the door. She glanced away quickly as Natsu returned ten minutes later, though, not wanting him to think that she missed him or anything. She peeked back at him and was astonished to note the large assortment of items he had brought back.

He handed her a bowl of chocolate ice-cream and said, "You eat this. And try not to move too much." While Lucy busied herself with the bowl of ice-cream - oh, heavenly chocolatey goodness! - Natsu began making a cold compress. He soaked several wash cloths in ice water and wrung them out, placing a few cubes of ice into each one. When Lucy had finished her bowl of ice-cream, Natsu took it from her and placed it on the floor. He pushed her down, gently, and arranged her blankets so that only her face and arms showed. Lucy shivered when she felt cold cloths being placed on her forehead, chest and upper arms. "Natsu, are you trying to freeze me to death?" She grumbled, concealing the fact that the cold made her feel a bit better. She looked up at Natsu with wide eyes and asked in a pleading tone, "Please may I have more ice-cream? It really helped my throat." Natsu smiled his toothy grin and said, "No, Luce. We don't want you getting any heavier, do we?" He winked and took her bowl to the kitchen.

While Natsu was washing her dishes, Lucy lay in bed blushing heavily. How could Natsu - violent, hot-headed Natsu - possibly be so sweet? He was acting as if she was a delicate doll that needed to be taken care of. While Lucy couldn't deny that it felt nice to be taken care of, she also couldn't quell the vicious thought that she was weak. It was okay to be weaker in battle, because Natsu and Erza were there to help her. But lying helpless in bed, that was a new level of weak. Unbeknownst to her, a small glistening tear tracked its way down her red face. Before she knew it, she had begun to sob quietly into her hands.

Natsu walked in and was horrified to see Lucy crying. "Luce, what's wrong? Where does it hurt? Tell me!" Panic-stricken, Natsu tried to look for any obvious signs of injury on Lucy's face and upper body. Lucy wiped away the tears and said, in a hoarse and weak voice, "It's my heart, Natsu. I'm not strong enough to be part of your team. I always let you guys down in battle, and here I am crying because I'm too helpless to look after myself when I'm sick. Don't you see?! I'm not strong enough!" Natsu leaned down to her and placed his forehead lightly against hers. He gave a small, lopsided grin and murmured, "You're right, you're not strong. You're sick, so of course you aren't strong. Remember last month, when Happy and I went on a week-long S-class job? I was actually sick in bed. I was weak. We all get sick, silly. It happens. Stop beating yourself up over it." Lucy's brow furrowed as she thought about what Natsu had just said. True, she was sick, but that didn't account for her weakness in battle. Deciding to think about that some other time, when she was alone, Lucy put her hand against Natsu's cheek.

"Thank you, Natsu. You really are amazing, you know?" She whispered, before dozing off and falling into a deep sleep. Natsu chuckled and rearranged the compresses. He kissed her lightly on the forehead, and after a moment's hesitation, gave her a gentle peck on the lips.

As he left the room, he turned and said, "I love you, Luce. You may think you're weak, but you're the strongest person I know." He closed the door to Lucy's bedroom, not seeing the small smile gracing her flushed face.

The next day, Mira came to find Natsu, as he had said that he was going to go to Lucy's house. She opened Lucy's bedroom door and peered around, seeking a wild head of salmon hair. There, on the bed. Natsu and Lucy beside each other on the bed, Lucy's head on Natsu's shoulder and their hands clasped together. In addition to that, they were both worryingly pale with vibrant red cheeks and noses. Mira smiled and closed the door gently, thinking that the sickness was worth the discomfort it brought, because it had pushed the two young people together.


End file.
